Notes / Commercial Description:
A decadent oatmeal stout. Velvet Merlin offers robust cocoa and espresso aromas with subtle American hop nuances. Rich dark chocolate and roasted coffee flavor with a creamy mouth feel and wonderfully dry finish create the perfect balance in this full-bodied stout. Ideal for sipping in the winter months or at the end of a meal.

Original name was "Velvet Merkin", but name was changed when it began to be bottled in 2010.

Firestone Walker’s limited release oatmeal stout. It pours a nice black color with a single finger of caramel head that quickly dissipates into a thin layer of fizz along the top. It smells nice, toasted coffee, mild chocolate and some nice oak aromas round out the nose, not very bold but quite nice. The flavors are a bit more interesting, the wood is much stronger and compliments the strong coffee flavors well, but there is also a nice amount of blackcurrant flavors that go surprisingly well with the woody flavors. The beer is a bit thin though, but at 5.5% it is really easy to drink.

Verdict: Nicely done oatmeal stout, very palatable and easy to drink. I will admit that its not very exciting for a limited release, but very enjoyable nonetheless.

Pours a decent blacked out color with a nice frothy beige head. Retains pretty well with plenty of filmy clouds and some patchy lacing on the glass.

Scents of roasted oats followed by coffee beans and some softer sweetness. A touch of dark chocolate and toffee as well.

Some hop bitterness right up front, followed by sweeter chocolate tones. Slightly bittersweet, with caramel and roasted oats. Dark malts are heavy with an almost charred edge lying underneath the softer sweet attributes. Finishes a bit dry with some lingering dark chocolate.

Fuller medium body, a bit higher carbonation, dry and tingly on the palate, chewy as well. Pretty solid flavor and the body is pretty full, especially with the lower ABV. If this was available here I'd definitely drink it again.

Pours a deep, dark, brown, almost black with a smallish brown head. Head disappears quickly with minmal lacing. Nose is roasty with some subtle coffee notes. Taste is equally roasty with some chocolate bitterness and tofee notes. Mouthfeel is a bit lighter than I prefer. Nice and "velvety" smooth (sorry, couldn't resist). A simple but delicious beer.

Burnished walnut brown with burnt orange edges and a lack of opacity... which is no sin in beer of this style and ABV. The lovely looking lid of golden ecru colored foam that was created on the pour is becoming soft and creamy as it melts. Nice lace too.

A small percentage of bourbon barrel-aged Merlin was combined with non-bourbon barrel-aged Merlin to create Merlin. Make sense? There's almost no whiskey in the nose, just the usual roasted and chocolate notes of the style... but it's enough.

As always, my taste buds are more sensitive than my nose. Still, this is not beer that will scare away those who don't care for the taste of America's finest spirit. That particular characteristic is subtle, which is exactly what is needed in a 5.5% oatmeal stout that doesn't otherwise poleaxe your palate with malt flavor.

Specific flavors include bittersweet chocolate, charred coffee beans, burnt sugar, and a complementary tea leaf bitterness from U.S. Fuggles. Barely more than 3 months in the bottle ensures that this is still relatively balanced beer. More bourbon would've been a mistake.

The mouthfeel is the only (slight) disappointment. It's a fraction thin, doesn't hang on like it should, and the carbonation could add more lift and expansive creaminess. Not bad at all, it just doesn't keep pace with the other attributes.

Firestone Walker is a good-to-great craft brewery. Velvet Merlin Oatmeal Stout is closer to good than great, which is fine with me. Here's hoping this is a year-round release.

S: Roasty and toasty, you can definitely smell the oats with the toastiness. Some faint English variety hops. The smell on this beer isn’t particularly strong.

T: Very balanced and pretty mild on the roastiness: this could easily pass as a porter. Chocolately, toasty and nutty, and only moderately malty with a slight breadiness. Extremely drinkable with a toasty and moderately roasty finish.

F: Medium bodied with a silky but light mouthfeel and medium carbonation, perhaps a bit too than the style would warrant.

Overall: Solid, very drinkable oatmeal stout. The roastiness is incredibly mild though and the beer could pass as a lighter style. I would have liked the aroma to be a bit more pronounced, but otherwise this is a tasty dark beer that I wouldn’t mind tossing back a few of.

Thick and flavorful, with more milk chocolate and smooth dark malt notes. Dry finish but maintains a quite moderate hop presence. Nicely done and well worth a try if ya see this available in your local area.

Pour is a dark black with tan head and decent lacing. Smells of toasted oat, some coffee, and mild hoppy malt. Taste is very nice, full flavor of oat, coffee, malt, chocolate, and some burnt bread mixed in giving this a very well balanced feel. The finish is very clean and smooth, I really enjoyed this beer, would recommend to anyone and will drink again for sure, good job guys.

A - Pours pitch black, one finger tan head, no lacing.
S - Roasted oats and some coffee, a little smokiness, some toasted grains.
T - Creamy roasted flavor, nice bitterness, some nutty quality on the end as well, some burnt qualities in the aftertaste.
M - A little bitter and thin for a stout, but not bad.
O - Taste doesnt follow aroma enough, but its an average oatmeal stout, I'd look elsewhere for cheaper and better oat stouts.

M. 6 out of 10 on body thickness. Decent carbonation for a stout. Creamy. Feels a little more like a porter. But they can be similar.

O. Nice if your in the mood for a stout and don't wanna reach for the 11%abv+. Flavor is kinda mild. Smells was turning me off a lil at first but the flavor didn't carry some of the deficiencies. Could be a good french press guinea pig to try different flavors. I'd have to be in the mood to reach for this one but that being said it does have it's place.

Black with dark brown edges when held to light. Light brown head that recedes to a ring, leaves a little lacing. The nose is primarily roast and dark chocolate, some sweet malt too. Taste has roasted malts, chocolate, and some coffee characteristics. The body is on the lighter end of full and carbonation is moderate. A balance, dry finish. A very nice oatmeal stout.

Poured from a 12 oz. capped bottle (Bottled On 01/09/12) into a pint glass.

A strong pour yields a 2-finger tan-mocha head that slowly fades after a few minutes to a thick, clumpy dusting and thick foam ring. The body is a deep, dark brown with traces of ruby when held to light. Thick lacing clings to glass between sips but always seems to fall back down, leaving a rather clean glass at the end.

The beginning of each sip starts out with flavors of dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans. As the beer is swirled in the mouth, flavors of milk chocolate and milk caramel become more obvious. Swallowing the beer releases flavors of creamy coffee followed by more dark chocolate. As these flavors fade, a baker's chocolate bitterness lingers on the palate.

Medium bodied with great carbonation, this beer is silky smooth and easy-sipping. The body is a bit light but that does not seem to affect its ability to transfer flavors. This also helps to prevent the beer from being sticky or coating. The carbonation is a bit fizzy but does not seem to interfere with the experience and creates an excellent swallow.

Pours a nice dark brown with a short head that quickly dissipates. Smells nice like oatmeal and very fresh. Taste is suprisingly clean and fresh without any heaviness. Nice and crisp and clean for such a dark beer. Nice carbonation and not syrupy like other darker beers. I really enjoyed this one.

Bottled 12/06/11. Served in a Surly Darkness snifter and enjoyed on 02/17/12.

Appearance: Pours a pitch black color. Totally opaque save for a layer of brown highlights atop the body. Poured a finger plus of creamy/foamy tan colored head that settled into a bubbly/creamy ring around the glass with a bubble tan clump in the middle. Excellent lacing. 4.5/5

Overall: A solid "off the shelf" oatmeal stout. Not overly heavy on the palate or on ABV. A little bitter and coffee/oat-forward on the flavor, but quite drinkable thanks to a thinner body and creamy mouthfeel.

Recommendation: Unless you have some aversion to bitter beers or coffee flavors, seek this one out at your convenience.

S: Roasted coffee, chocolate and dark fruit is the main course. Some raisin notes and a wee bit of smoky aroma.

T: Dark fruits hit the palate first, some raisin and plum. Quickly followed by a roasted coffee. Some burnt toffee is in the background. Dark bread in a sweet beer. It does fiish dryer than I expected.

M: Full bodied and chewy with low carbonation.

O: A very nice stout. It's sweet but not cloying. Bright roasted coffee notes jump out among the dark fruits. Nice complex beer.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color medium beige head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains coffee, oats, roasted malts, some chocolate and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of coffee, molasses and chocolate. Then some mild smokiness comes in along with toasted oats and a hearty malt character. The hops presence is very mild but complementary and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly bready.

12 oz bottle. Pours a black which looks cola brown at the edges when held up to the light. Two finger light brown head which pretty good retention and leaves a very small amount of lacing on the glass. Aroma is roasted coffee, light earthy hops, and light dark chocolate. A bit of vanilla and licorice comes out as it warms up. I wouldn't have guessed a portion of this was barrel aged, but when you are looking for those notes you can find them. Initial taste is roasted coffee going into light dark chocolate with some hints of vanilla and licorice. The finish has a slight tea-like bitterness. Don't really get any bourbon in the taste. Medium body. Low carbonation. Smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Pretty standard for an oatmeal stout. Pretty great beer, especially for the cost.

Thanks for this one Sean. Poured into a tulip. Pours a cola colored brown with about a finger of creaming light khaki head.

The aroma has hints of slight cocoa and hints of espresso. Pretty run of the mill but pleasing either way. The taste is pretty much what wone would expect from an oatmeal stout. A little roasty with hints of coffee and some fudgyness to it. Pretty tasty.

The feel is good, silky and smooth with subtle carbonation. Overall this is a well made beer. I just don't think this is the most exciting of styles.

Reviewed "live". Bottle dated 9/27/12 served in a Chimay 150th anniversary glass while watching "The Outlaw Josey Wales". A seemingly appropriate movie for an oatmeal stout.

A. Pours a very dark brown, though not completely opaque, allowing the ruby highlights to occasionally shine through. One finger bone colored head dissipates fairly rapidly, but leaves a long lasting ring and thin island like overlay dancing around in the middle .